Thursday Night Lights?

The high school football season got underway last week, rather quietly.

Fatdog.ca is about the best resource for this level of play.  The "football" tab was removed from the site recently, usually a sign that the schedule is going up, but by the time I saw it again, a few games had been played.

Thursday - Sep. 19, 2013
Franco Cite 07 @ St. Peter 27
Mother Teresa 16 @ Holy Trinity 04

Friday - Sep. 20, 2013
St. Mark 00 @ Sir Wilfrid Laurier 28
Immaculata 07 @ St. Joseph 48

There are 16 teams competing (pretty standard) across town.  If I understand correctly, the clubs playing at the AAA/AAAA level (St. Peter, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, St. Patrick, St.Mark) can compete provincially in the OFSAA Bowl Series in Toronto.

There are a couple of other things I've noticed about the schedule.  At first, I was disappointed to see that United Way Day seemed to be a thing of the past.  Every year, on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, 16 teams would converge on St. Joseph High School to play eight games on two fields from 9AM to about 7PM.  As much football as you can handle and fundraising for the United Way at the same time.  Always a fun time.

I eventually clued in that the event is still on, but the Thursday following Thanksgiving instead.  Here is the schedule for that day.

Colonel By @ St. Pius -- 10:00am at St. Joseph
Garneau @ Longfields DHS -- 10:00am at St. Joseph
Philemon Wright @ St. Matthew -- 12:00am at St. Matthew
Holy Trinity @ St. Joseph -- 12:00am at St. Joseph
St. Mark @ Franco Cite -- 2:00pm at St. Joseph   
St. Peter @ Sir Wilfrid Laurier --2:00pm at St. Joseph
Mother Teresa @ St. Patrick -- 7:30pm at Millenium Field

Things seem to have changed a little, probably for logistical reasons.  Previously, one game would start at 9AM on field one, then another on field two an hour later, and so on.  When the first game ended, the third would start on field one, and so on.  Now they all appear to start at the same times.  I can only assume that the Philemon Wright "at" St. Matthew location being listed as being played at St. Matthew is an error.

I doubt that the last game's location is an error though.  It seems that there's a game every Thursday evening now, something that was a rarity in the recent past.

So here's your Thursday night schedule now (not including the Mother Teresa/St. Patrick match-up from above).

Sep 26th: St. Joseph @ Mother Teresa 7:00pm at Bob Stevens Field
Oct  3rd: St. Patrick  @ St. Peter   7:30pm at Millenium Field
Oct 10th: St. Mark @ Holy Trinity    7:00pm at Bob Stevens Field
Oct 24th: St. Joseph @ St. Peter     7:30pm at Millenium Field

So people now have more opportunities to catch these teams in action.

Flashback, May 29th, 2013: Desjardins names Sunderland Ottawa's Assistant GM

Not much to add; If Sunderland was with the Montreal Alouettes prior to his Jets experience, then his path and Desjardins' would have crossed during that time.  Since Jeremy Snyder spent the last three seasons with the Alouettes, that makes only Miles Gorrell the only front office member to not have spent a significant portion of his career with Montréal.

In 2004, the Alouettes posted a 14-4 regular season.  In 2005 they were 10-8 and lost the Grey Cup to Edmonton in overtime.

OTTAWA -- Ottawa’s new Canadian Football League franchise today announced that Brock Sunderland has been appointed Assistant General Manager.

Sunderland, now in his 10th season in professional football, will be involved in all facets of football operations including scouting and player contracts.

“I’m delighted to welcome Brock to our organization” said team General Manager Marcel Desjardins.

“He brings a wealth of experience and a proven eye for talent that will be invaluable to our organization as we evaluate players and build our team for the 2014 season.”

Prior to joining the Ottawa franchise, Sunderland spent six seasons with the NFL’s New York Jets in scouting roles, most recently covering college players in the western United States.

He also served as an advance pro scout, preparing reports for the Jets on upcoming opponents.  Prior to joining the Jets, Sunderland spent three seasons with the Montreal Alouettes where he was promoted to Director of Scouting after serving as a professional and amateur scout.

“I consider myself very fortunate to be able to return to the Canadian Football League and specifically to Ottawa,” said Sunderland.  “I'm looking forward to helping build a team from the ground up with people who are well respected in this industry.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

A native of Great Falls Montana, Sunderland was a wide receiver and punt returner for the University of Montana before knee injuries ended his playing career. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications.

Team Profile: Nepean Redskins

Not surprisingly, this post is "inspired" by the pending departure of the Redskins name for the Nepean NCAFA club.  That will apparently be announced officially tomorrow, so I'll hold off copying any articles and such until then.

The Redskins were born as the Barrhaven Buccaneers in August of 1978, playing at the Mosquito level.  The team changed its name to Redskins in 1983 and gradually added age levels over the years.  The midget level in particular was added in 2002.

The undefeated 2005 team has been, to this point, the most dominant in the brief history of the midget level in NCAFA.  I had recorded their roster, award winners, etc and will see if I can locate that again in something of a tribute page.  I'll also get my hands on 2012 scores at some point.

2003, 2005, 2010 NCAFA Midget Champions
(Est. 1978)

2011 Schedule (04-04)
Aug 27th: @ Norsemen      (W 20-00)
Sep  2nd: vs Colts        (W 04-01)
Sep  9th: vs Knights      (W 31-00)
Sep 21st: vs Bengals      (L 00-06)
Sep 25th: vs Norsemen     (L 10-14)
Oct  2nd: @ Colts         (W 20-07)
Oct  9th: @ Bengals       (L 00-14)
Oct 14th: @ Knights       (L 00-06)

Oct 28th: vs Colts        (W 23-13)
Nov 4th: at Bengals       (L 00-21)(Championship Game)


2010 Results (06-01)
Aug 20th: @ Norsemen      (W 27-20)
Aug 27th: vs Colts        (W 17-07)
Sep 12th: @ Dukes         (W 14-00)
Sep 17th: vs Stampeders   (W 33-07)
Sep 22nd: vs Norsemen     (L 16-18)
Sep 26th: @ Colts         (W 34-08)
Oct  1st: vs Dukes        (W 28-00)
Oct 17th: @ Stampeders    (W 01-00)

Oct 24th: vs Colts        (W 56-14)
Oct 29th: vs Norsemen     (W 14-07)


2009 Results (05-03)
Aug 28th: @ Norsemen      (W 18-03)
Sep  4th: vs Colts        (W 23-14)
Sep  9th: vs Mustangs     (L 28-54)
Sep 18th: @ Mustangs      (L 13-25)
Sep 25th: @ Colts         (W 23-00)
Oct  4th: @ Dukes         (L 14-20)
Oct  9th: vs Norsemen     (W 28-00)
Oct 14th: vs Dukes        (W 14-06)

Oct 23rd: Orleans Dukes 35, Nepean Redskins 10 (Playoff)


2008 Results (02-06)
Sep  5th: vs Dukes        (L 13-28)
Sep 12th: vs Norsemen     (W 34-07)
Sep 19th: @ Colts         (W 27-08)
Sep 26th: @ Mustangs      (L 26-34)
Oct  8th: @ Norsemen      (L 08-33)
Oct 13th: @ Dukes         (L 14-35)
Oct 17th: vs Mustangs     (L 06-19)
Oct 24th: vs Colts        (L 06-25)

Orleans Dukes 46, Nepean Redskins 14      (Playoff)


2007 Results (04-04)
Aug 31st: @ Norsemen      (L 00-25)
Sep  5th: vs Knights      (L 15-18)
Sep 14th: @ Colts         (W 21-08)
Sep 22th: vs Dukes        (W 12-08)
Sep 28th: vs Norsemen     (L 13-17)
Oct  8th: @ Knights       (W 37-14)
Oct 17th: vs Colts        (L 00-21)
Oct 21th: @ Dukes         (W 14-07)

Nepean Redskins 22, Orleans Dukes 15     (Semi)
Bel Air Norsemen 28, Nepean Redskins 14  (Championship Game)


2006 Results (09-01)(Specific dates not available)
Aug 26-27:  Redskins 15, Mustangs 07
Sep 01-04:  Redskins 26, Dukes 00
Sep 09-10:  Knights 03, Redskins 02
Sep 16-17:  Redskins 32, Colts 22
Sep 22-24:  Redskins 34, Dukes 00
Sep 29-Oct 1st:  Redskins 20, Norsemen 07
Sep 29-Oct 1st:  Redskins 43, Colts 03
Oct 06-09:  Redskins 34, Mustangs 00
Oct 13-15:  Redskins 22, Knights 07
Oct 20-22:  Redskins 07, Norsemen 05

Oct 27-29:  Redskins 31, Mustangs 00 (Semi)
Nov 01-05:  Norsemen 10, Redskins 07 (Championship)


2005 Results (10-00)(Specific dates not available)
Aug 27-28:  Redskins 33, Norsemen 00
Sep 02-05:  Redskins 43, Colts 00
Sep 09-11:  Redskins 21, Knights 14
Sep 17-18:  Redskins 24, Dukes 02
Sep 23-25:  Redskins 30, Mustangs 07
Sep 30-Oct 2nd: Redskins 21, Norsemen 08
Oct 05-10:  Redskins 21, Knights 00
Oct 05-10:  Redskins 30, Mustangs 07
Oct 14-16:  Redskins 01, Colts 00
Oct 20-23:  Redskins 35, Dukes 07

Oct 28-30:  Redskins 37, Mustangs 00 (Semi)
Nov 07-08:  Redskins 28, Norsemen 03 (Championship)


2004 Results (04-04)(Specific dates not available)
Sep 04-06:  Redskins 26, Norsemen 20
Sep 11-12:  Colts 33, Redskins 19
Sep 17-19:  Redskins 16, Knights 13
Sep 22-26:  Redskins 24, Mustangs 13 (game continued from Aug. 28-28) Mustangs 23, Redskins 14
Sep 29-Oct 03:  Redskins 35, Dukes 16
Oct 15-17:  Knights 20, Redskins 07
Oct 22-24:  Colts 46, Redskins 28

Oct 30-31:  Redskins 28, Knights 21  (Semi)
Nov 02-07:  Colts 48, Redskins 43    (Championship)


2003 Results (07-01)
Aug 30th:  vs Ottawa Colts        (W 49-21)
Sep  6th:  vs Gloucester Dukes    (W 28-18)
Sep 12th:  at Kanata Knights      (W 27-07)
Sep 20th:  at Bel Air Norsemen    (L 20-21)
Oct  1st:  at Ottawa Colts        (W 35-15)
Oct  5th:  at Gloucester Dukes    (W 27-17)
Oct 11th:  vs Bel Air Norsemen    (W 28-21)
Oct 18th:  vs Kanata Knights      (W 24-07)

Nepean Redskins 30, Kanata Knights 12   (Semi)
Nepean Redskins 16, Bel-Air Norsemen 08 (Championship Game)


2002 Results (07-01)
Aug 23-25:     Redskins 28, Norsemen 13
Aug 31-Sep 02: Redskins 62, Colts 00
Sep 06-08:     Redskins 15, Knights 00
Sep 20-21:     Dukes 30, Redskins 14
Sep 27-29:     Redskins 40, Colts 00
Oct 04-05:     Redskins 20, Norsemen 06
Oct 11-14:     Redskins 41, Knights 01
Oct 26-27:     Redskins 14, Dukes 05

Nov   2nd:     Redskins 22, Norsemen 18 (Semi)
Nov  10th:     Dukes 23, Redskins 15    (Championship Game)

Flashback, March 15th, 2013: Snyder, Gorrell and Covington hired

I originally tried to do these key events chronologically but, perhaps due to eagerness to get to the player personnel part of things, I skipped over some front office appointments from this past spring. Here they are:

March 15, 2013 (Ottawa ON.): Ottawa’s new CFL team today announced the appointment of two football veterans to the organization. Jeremy Snyder joins the team from the Montreal Alouettes as Pro/College Scout, and Miles Gorrell has been hired as Scouting Consultant.

“Both of these individuals will be key members of our football operations staff as we prepare to draft and sign players,” said Ottawa’s General Manager, Marcel Desjardins. “Jeremy has the ability to identify talent at the pro and college levels, both in Canada and the United States, and his administrative background will be invaluable to our Football Operations structure. Miles will focus primarily on the CFL and the upcoming CFL Draft. His hands-on approach to scouting and his ability to get to know prospects on a personal level will be of tremendous benefit to our organization.”

Miles Gorrell, an Ottawa U Gee Gee’s alumnus, is best known for his stellar 18-season career as an offensive lineman with five CFL teams, including the 1982 Ottawa Rough Riders. Since 2005, he served as a player personnel assistant with the Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts. Gorrell, a perennial CFL Eastern All-Star and two-time winner of the Leo Dandurand Trophy, will be inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame this September.

For the last three seasons, Jeremy Snyder scouted for the Montreal Alouettes. He prepared strategic advance scouting reports on opposing teams and assessed talent on US college and NFL rosters. Prior to joining the Al’s, Snyder was Pro Scout for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, and prior to joining the Eagles he spent four seasons as Football Operations Assistant with the Chicago Bears.

The Ottawa franchise also announced the appointment of Chantal Covington as Executive Assistant, Football Operations.

Not much to add, except to point out that these guys have been busy. Here's a paragraph from an Ottawa Citizen article fom August 3rd.

(Seattle) Seahawks camp was the second of Desjardins’ eight NFL stops, mostly in the Pacific time zone; he began with the Denver Broncos. Sunderland (RR edit: more on him later) and Snyder will each visit nine camps, but Gorrell just six because he’s returning earlier than the others to oversee Canadian Interuniversity Sport teams, whose season kicks off in August.

Oh, just six for that slacker Gorrell.  :-)

Sounds like no stone is being left unturned.

Article: "Midget Knights win opener 16-6 against Nouvelles Frontieres"

Kanata Kourier-Standard - The midget Kanata Knights held their home opener on Sept. 6 in front of a packed home crowd at Robert Barr Football Field.

The Knights started off slowly in the first half allowing the Frontieres to score.

However, a determined defense, led by linebackers Sebby Mordak and Eric Ricci, DL Jasmin Dervisevic and two-way powerhouse player Nick Krzaniak, who plays both defensive back and quarterback, helped keep the score close with the Knights trailing by just 6 after the half.

Early in the third quarter, the game shifted momentum and the Knights took control.

The pounding running game of Chris Bumstead, and Brandon Farquharson put quarterback Matt Duffy in scoring position where he punched in two touchdowns and Jared Blair converted both points after touchdowns.

Evan Yourth led the receiving core with three catches for 43 yards.

Matt Duffy was also a key factor on special teams with two kick returns for 73 yards.

The defence stood strong and shut out the Frontieres for the remainder of the game. Nick Krzaniak led the defence with three interceptions, a batted ball and two assisted tackles.

Sebby Mordak was a beast recording six solo tackles and five assisted plus put the game out of reach with a safety in the forth. Julien Smit continues to be a quarterback's worst nightmare with two sacks and rookie defensive linesman Sheldon McRae recovered a fumble.

Flashback, May 6th, 2013: RedBlacks draft SB/WR Tyler Digby in the 4th round of the college draft.

The timing for this post couldn't have worked out any better.  On the day that I look for articles similar to the ones I found for the other three choices, Digby gets drafted by the Vancouver franchise of the National Lacrosse League.

First, let's revisit his selection through the Royal City Record.

New Westminster's Tyler Digby was selected in the fourth round of the Canadian Football League college draft on Monday.

The 6-3, 250-pound junior tight end at Robert Morris University was drafted by the new as-yet-unnamed Ottawa franchise, which will begin playing in the CFL in the 2014 season.

"I was just excited, humbled and everything. It was a pretty proud moment for sure," said Digby on a long-distance call from the Pittsburgh, Pensylvania campus.

Digby, who has one varsity letter in football and two in field lacrosse, will play his senior year at Robert Morris before weighing his sporting options.

In the CFL draft, Ottawa had the opportunity to draft four NCAA players with eligibility remaining. Next year, as a full-fledged member of the league, Ottawa will have the first pick in all rounds of the draft.

In February, Digby was also drafted in the first round, sixth overall, by the Burnaby Lakers in the Western Lacrosse Association junior entry draft.

Must be nice to be wanted...

At the time of the pick, this seemed like a nice late score.  Digby's Robert Morris bio lists him as being 6'4" and 255, great size for an inside receiver, but it also mentions that he moved to the offensive line in a pinch. In three games this year, he has six receptions for 53 yards and a score.

The National Lacrosse League schedule runs from January to April.  There's no overlap, so on that level there doesn't seem to be anything preventing him from playing both sports if he wishes (unless CFL contracts forbid it, which I doubt).

But you would think that someone from New Westminster might want to play football close to home as well so I could see Digby being sent to BC in a trade at some point.  It may be best to not get too attached to him.

History: The Ottawa Renegades Dispersal Draft

In acontinuing effort to record anything and everything related to Ottawa football, and as a result of mentioning it yesterday while posting about RedBlacks draft pick Kalonji Kashama, here are the players that were chosen from the Renegades roster following that team's "suspension".  The draft was held on April 19th, 2006.

Round 1

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     SSK (from HAM)     Kerry Joseph     QB
2     WPG                Ibrahim Khan     OL
3     SSK                Jason Armstead   WR
4     CGY                Cam Yeow         LB
5     WPG (from TOR)     Val St. Germain  OL
6     BCL                Korey Banks      DB
7     MTL                Kai Ellis        DB
8     EDM                Anthony Collier  DE



Round 2

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Pat Fleming      P
2     TOR (from WPG)     Marc Pilon       DL
3     SSK                Cory Hathaway    FB
4     CGY                Markus Howell    WR
5     WPG (from TOR)     Brad Banks       QB
6     BCL                Matt Kirk        DL
7     MTL                Greg Moss        DB
8     EDM                Sean Suisham      K



Round 3

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Gilles Lezi      FB
2     WPG                Hakeem Kashama   DL
3     SSK                Charles Howard   DT
4     CGY                Crance Clemons   DB
5     TOR                David Azzi       WR
6     BCL                Sean Weston      DB
7     MTL                D'wayne Taylor   DB
8     EDM                L.P. Ladouceur   DT



Round 4

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Greg Bearman     DB
2     WPG                Cameron Legault  DL
3     SSK                Donald Ruiz      DB
4     CGY                Jason Thomas     QB
5     TOR                Sean Poole       OL
6     BCL                Sandro Sciortino  K
7     MTL                Brandon Evans    OL
8     EDM                Pat Woodcock     WR



Round 5

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Steve Smith      DB
2     WPG                Lenard Semajuste FB
3     SSK                Pass             --
4     CGY                Greg Cole        LB
5     TOR                Sean Bennett     RB
6     BCL                Anthony Jones    WR
7     MTL                Dwayne Levels    LB
8     EDM                Israel Idonije   DE



Round 6

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Pass             --
2     WPG                Henri Childs     RB
3     SSK                Trevor Kine      OT
4     CGY                Canary Knight    DT
5     TOR                Sean Riley       WR
6     BCL                Pass             --
7     MTL                Kenny Smith      DL
8     EDM                Pass             --



Round 7

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Pass             --
2     WPG                Robert Grant     DB
3     SSK                Allen Burrell    WR
4     CGY                Jamaal Perry     WR
5     TOR                Roderick Warren  WR
6     BCL                Pass             --
7     MTL                David Ashkinaz   OL
8     EDM                Pass             --



Round 8

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Pass             --
2     WPG                Pass             --
3     SSK                Pass             --
4     CGY                Pass             --
5     TOR                Pass             --
6     BCL                Pass             --
7     MTL                Jeremy Pearl     DB
8     EDM                Pass             --

No matter how big a fan of the Renegades you might have been, you could be excused for not recognizing some of these names.  Several players had been signed earlier in the year to compete in camp.  Most didn't amount to anything in the CFL though several of the veteran players are still contributing in 2013.  Some special teams guys are in the NFL (Suisham, Ladouceur).

Flashback, May 6th, 2013: RedBlacks draft Kalonji Kashama in the Third Round of the College Draft

The RedBlacks continued to build along the trenches during their first college draft.

Does the Kashama name seem familiar?  It might; Kalonji's three older brothers have played professionally.  It doesn't get mentioned much in his bios, but brother Hakeem Kashama was briefly an Ottawa Renegade.  He had signed on before the 2006 season that never was and was picked by Winnipeg in the dispersal draft.

As for Connor Williams, let's retain some of Kashama's Eastern Michigan bio for future reference...

Full name: Kalonji Sylvain Kashama.

2012: Started 11 games for the Eagles at defensive end...Recorded 30 tackles including three sacks...Forced two fumbles, one sack and five solo tackles at Purdue (Oct. 15).

2011: Appeared in all 12 games, earning four starts for the Eagles...Recorded 28 total tackles (10 solo & 18 assisted), 1.5 sacks, four QB hurries and one pass breakup...Had 3.5 tackles for loss on the season...Notched a season high four total tackles at Michigan (Sept. 17)...

2010: Earned his first letter after redshirting as a freshman in 2009...Played in 11 games, earning eight starts on the defensive line...Finished the year with 14 tackles, three tackles-for-loss of 11 yards and two sacks for 10 yards...Turned in four tackles in his collegiate debut, Sept. 4 against Army...Second-best effort was a three-tackle effort at Ball State (Oct. 16), including 1.5 sacks for five yards...

HIGH SCHOOL:  Graduated from Notre Dame H.S. in Brampton, Ontario, Canada where he played football for Head Coach Dario Pretto...Was a member of the Honor Roll...Earned four varsity letters in football and three each in basketball and track...Played at Avondale H.S. in Decatur, Ga. in his final season of high school football...Avondale’s Head Coach was his brother, Hakeem Kashama...Senior Year:  Named one of the Top 20 Players in the Greater Toronto area...Junior Year: Finished his 11th grade in Canada where he played at Notre Dame School in Brampton, Ontario...Picked for the Greater Toronto Area All-Star team and was named one of the Top 20 Players in the Greater Toronto area...Had 14 sacks with 71 tackles on defense and also played offensive receiver....Sophomore Year:  Named one of the Top 20 Players in the Greater Toronto area...Freshman Year: Lettered in football and helped the team win the conference championship.

All very nice, but let's let the man tell us about himself:



In light of his size (6'04" / 270), experience and blood lines, I'm surprised he lasted until the end of the 3rd round.  Hope to see Kashama wearing the "R" next spring.

Team Profile: Holy Trinity Tornadoes

The mention of the Holy Trinity Tornadoes in Connor Williams' bio motivated me to restore their historical results as best I could. Over time, I'll do the same to all the NCSSAA teams in the Ottawa area and the RSEQ teams in Gatineau.

Holy Trinity Tornadoes

2007 Tier Two Champions

2012 Results (2-4)(Tier Two)
Sep 26th: vs Mother Teresa          (L 12-49)
Oct  4th: at Glebe                  (L 21-22)
Oct 10th: at Sacred Heart           (W 39–06)
Oct 16th: at Immaculata             (L 13-20)
Oct 24th: vs Franco Cité            (L 07-14)
Oct 29th: at Immaculata             (W 27–22)

Nov  2nd: at St. Pius               (L 08-36)


2011 Results (2-4)
Sep 23rd: at St. Joseph             (L 00-27)
Sep 30th: at St. Pius               (W 28–07)
Octr 6th: vs St. Francis Xavier     (L 00-47)
Oct 14th: at South Carleton         (L 14-15)
Oct 19th: vs Mother Teresa          (L 01-28)
Oct 28th: vs Immaculata             (W 14–03)

Nov  1st: at South Carleton         (W 14–10)
Nov  4th: at Immaculata             (L 07-14)


2010 Results (5-1)(Tier Two)
Sep 23rd: vs St. Joseph             (L 00-29)
Sep 30th: vs Bell                   (W 48-00)
Oct  7th: at Sacred Heart           (W 14-00)
Oct 15th: at Merivale               (W 33-10)
Oct 21st: vs John McCrae            (W 46-00)
Oct 29th: vs Franco-Cité            (W 15-03)

Nov  5th: vs Glebe                  (W 37-06)
Nov  9th: at Franco-Cité            (L 00-20)


2009 Results (2-4)(Tier Two)
Sep 17th: vs Merivale               (L 20-27)
Sep 24th: at Sacred Heart           (L 00-08)
Sep 29th: vs Mother Teresa          (W 21-06)
Oct  8th: at St. Joseph             (L 16-19)
Oct 16th: vs Notre Dame             (W 67-00)   
Oct 23rd: at John McCrae            (L 00-26)

Oct 27th: at Merivale               (W 34-07)
Oct 30th: at Mother Teresa          (W 24-14)
Nov  3rd: at ST. Patrick            (L 40-07)


2008 Results (1-4-1)(Tier Two)
Sep 19th: at Sir Robert Borden      (L 06-21)
Sep 24th: vs St. Pius               (L 07-19)
Oct  2nd: at Sacred Heart           (W 15-00)
Oct  9th: vs John McCrae            (T 06-06)
Oct 18th: at Merivale               (L 00-07)
Oct 23rd: vs Ottawa Tech            (L 20-33)


2007 Results (5-1)(Tier Two)
City Champions
Sep 24th: vs All Saints             (W 29-01)
Sep 27th: at Merivale               (W 35-00)
Oct  3rd: vs John McCrae            (L 21-35)
Oct 12th: at Bell                   (W 52-00)
Oct 19th: at South Carleton         (W 17-02)
Oct 25th: vs All Saints             (W 36-10)

Nov  2nd: vs St. Patrick's          (W 35-00)
Nov  7th: vs St. Pius               (W 46-00)
Nov 13th: at Immaculata             (W 38-15)

Flashback, May 6th, 2013: RedBlacks draft Kanata native Connor Williams in the Second Round of the college draft

This was a fun pick.  I'd been tracking local players in NCAA for some time, and would watch Williams during the rare occasions when Utah State was televised (such as bowl games).  When the RedBlacks had the opportunity to make a draft choice again after MacMillan, and Williams was available, I was very much hoping that they would take him and obviously they did.

The Utah State website has a good bio of him, particularly of his pre-NCAA years. I'll copy that part here for future reference.

HIGH SCHOOL: Was a two-time first-team all-region honoree at Holy Trinity (Ontario) High School... Also participated in the all-Canada Gridiron Ottawa May Showcase, as well as playing in the Athletes in Action East/West Bowl, where he was the only junior selected, and then again as a senior... Was Holy Trinity's defensive MVP his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, as well as team captain all three years... As a junior, helped the Tornadoes win the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association Tier 2 football championship... Also played for the Kanata Knights and the Myers Riders of the Ontario Varsity Football League, where he set a league record for single-season tackle assists with 80 as a junior... As a senior, had 80 total tackles (35-solo, 45-assists) with 10 total sacks (5-solo, 5-assists) along with two forced fumbles and one interception... Was also the Riders' team MVP as a senior and was a two-time team captain.

Recently, the Salt Lake Tribune had an article about Williams and his time with the program which included a mention of his selection by the RedBlacks.  Have a read at that below.

The teasing comes with the territory for Connor Williams, though at first he fought it.

Arriving in Logan from Ontario as a freshman, Williams didn’t appreciate it when his new Utah State teammates egged him on by saying Canadians couldn’t play football. In the first few days of his freshman camp, he tried to show them all how wrong they were.

"I shut [up] a few people my very first few days: All I did was headhunt people," he said, laughing at the memories. "Actually, I got a reward for that in my first scrimmage from Kellen Bartlett. He’s going to kill me for bringing that up."

These days, the 21-year-old is comfortable with both where he’s from and where he is. The senior defensive end is coming off an all-WAC honorable mention season, and he’s one of the Aggies’ leaders on defense after topping the team with six sacks last year.

He still strides onto the field looking to prove himself every day, only now, he takes out his aggression on opponents.

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Williams invites his reputation: The brawny lineman has the thick beard, tattoos on his biceps and a long, flowing mane that inspired his most well-known nickname: Conan the Barbarian.

At a recent team get-together, the Aggies had a look-alike event. When a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger in full movie get-up popped up on the screen next to Williams’ picture, he rolled his eyes. The name has just stuck.

"Honestly, I just call him Conan," Larsen said. "I can’t remember the last time I called him Connor."

Williams hasn’t always had long hair. He didn’t even always like football. Which was funny, because the sport has long been the family’s pastime.

His uncles Shane Ireland and Brian Wise both played in the CFL. Williams played, mostly out of a sense of duty — and because hockey was expensive — but he didn’t much like it.

That changed when he saw Utah play in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl against Pittsburgh. Wise, a former Ute player, introduced his nephew to the excitement of college football. Afterward, Williams was pushing and pushing to go to Utah before he got a late call from Gary Andersen.

"He told me he came up here to rebuild a program, it was going to be something special, and I wanted to be a part of that," Williams remembered. "At the last minute, I signed."

Mining the Canadian recruit turned out to be quite the coup for Utah State. Williams started all 13 games last year and enters this season as the most experienced lineman in the Aggies’ defensive fold. He’s one of the strongest players on the team, earning an Iron Aggie last year and getting some of the heaviest squats in the weight room.

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For years, Williams kept his hair close-cropped. But not long after another football-playing uncle, Phil Ireland, died, Williams missed a haircut.

"My uncle played football, and he always wore his hair long," Williams said. " I thought maybe I’d honor him in a way."

There’s no doubt that Williams is making his hometown proud, or at least drawing its attention. During the offseason, Williams was selected by the Ottawa Red Blacks, a CFL expansion team that will start playing in 2014. They hope that Williams considers returning home to begin his pro football career after his senior campaign is over.

That’s far ahead of him at this point. Yes, he’s still proud to be Canadian. But for now, he’s just an Aggie.

"If I have a successful season, we’ll see what comes out of it," he said. "I assume one day when I have to get a real job, I’ll have to cut my hair. I’m just enjoying it for now."